ICYMI: Disney Park Highlights and Announcements from Destination D23 2023!

 As the official Disney fan club, the D23 community is the place to revel in all things Disney! D23 hosts several events throughout the year, encouraging fans to come together to celebrate the stories Disney creates. One of the largest events of the year is Destination D23, which is usually hosted at Walt Disney World. Company representatives present various panels throughout the conference weekend, sharing behind-the-scenes information, commemorating company milestones, and making announcements. During this year’s conference, we learned about several new and exciting updates at Disney Parks, especially WDW. Here are the biggest announcements from this year’s Destination D23 event:

Animal Kingdom ​

Some of the biggest announcements at the panel entitled “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” were for Animal Kingdom. Josh D’Amaro, the Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, announced that an entirely new Zootopia-themed show will replace It’s Tough to Be a Bug at the Tree of Life Theater inside the park’s icon. Guests will explore the biomes mentioned in Zootopia and solve crime in the city alongside Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Dash, and Officer Clawhauser. The show promises to be a family-friendly adventure filled with humor and fun. This is a welcome change to the current attraction based on the 1998 Disney-Pixar film A Bug’s Life, which includes some intense scenes with effects that simulate insects crawling up guests’ backs and feet.

In addition, Dinoland, U.S.A., will be completely reimagined and take guests on a journey into the “Tropical Americas.” Presenters D’Amaro and Bruce Vaughn hinted that this area could include Encanto and Indiana Jones-themed experiences.

Magic Kingdom

Updates to classic attractions at the Magic Kingdom were also announced at the conference. The Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland will be completely revamped in 2024 with new songs and structure. The show will be inspired by country variety shows like performances popular in Nashville, Tennessee. Disney is working with local musicians in Nashville to update the attraction’s repertoire to include country versions of classic Disney songs like “The Bare Necessities.” Some bears, like Liver Lips McGrowl, will get new names.

The Haunted Mansion will be home to one more haunt: the famous Hatbox Ghost will be added to the ride at Magic Kingdom, just like it was at Disneyland. Artist renderings show the new animatronic will be placed in the hallway/candelabra scene.
A new pirate-themed lounge will open near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Adventureland. The lounge will feature the barker bird, a green macaw that took up residence at the ride’s entrance until 2006. 

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 EPCOT

Several updates were about EPCOT: 
 

• Moana—Journey of Water will open to guests this week on October 16th. This walk-through experience will have a virtual queue to help manage crowds. The trail features fountains, lush landscaping, and character sculptures (including a permanent Te Fiti topiary). Moana will also greet guests near the attraction.
  
• World Celebration, the revamped area formerly known as Future World, will open in December, completing a multi-year overhaul of the park. 
  
• A new nighttime show, Luminous - Symphony of Us, will premiere on December 5th. The show will take place around the World Showcase lagoon and feature fireworks, water effects, and dazzling laser projections—all set to Disney music. 
  
• TestTrack will be updated, exploring the future of transportation and including elements from the site’s original attraction, World of Motion.
  

Updates to Character Experiences ​

Ahsoka, from the Disney+ series of the same name, now greets guests at Disneyland. The character will be added to the Star Tours attraction at WDW, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland. Asha, Disney’s newest princess from the soon-to-be-released film Wish, will greet guests at the theme parks later this year. The panel concluded with an appearance from Figment and the announcement that his new meet and greet location at EPCOT would open on September 10th. Figment now greets guests at the ImageWorks section of the Imagination Pavilion (at the end of the Journey into Imagination attraction). 

Updates from Around the World ​

The presentation also provided updates from Disney Parks around the world. There was a sneak peek of the World of Frozen Land at Hong Kong Disneyland and the Zootopia land at Shanghai Disneyland. We also got a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of the Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris and new areas in the Fantasy Springs area of Tokyo Disneyland. 

Disney Cruise Line ​

We learned more about the three ships currently in development. Details about the Disney Treasure were recently released (we’ll have an in-depth preview of the ship later this month). The name of DCL’s seventh ship was also announced: Disney Adventure. Updates were provided about the cruise line’s newest island experience, Lighthouse Point. Cruises to this new destination in the Bahamas will begin in 2024. 

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